Paul is Dead and Elvis is Aliveby Jude Kessler, Author of Shoulda Been There
The legend of Faust, who sold his soul to the Devil, for various earthly delights (in some versions, he acquires wealth; in others, knowledge, fame, or power) has existed for hundreds of years. It has been told and retold by great writers such as Goethe, Christopher Marlowe, Washington Irving and more recently, Oscar Wilde.
But now comes Joseph Niezgoda, whose new book on John Lennon, The Lennon Prophecy, asserts that twenty-year-old John Lennon sold his soul to the Devil in 1960 in exchange for success. Niezgoda claims that the remarkable success engendered by The Beatles - following their arduous four months in Hamburg, Germany - was not the product of talent or hard work or experience, but of satanic endowment. He claims that John Lennon's avenue to success was via the Devil.
I have not read Niezgoda's book in its entirety and do not intend to purchase it, but based on publicly available excerpts and articles, I feel compelled to rebut this flimsy "theory," this latest rock 'n' roll oddity. Let me point out just a few of the facts that prove Niezgoda to be not only wrong, but completely devoid of understanding of what the Faustian legend involves.
1. Selling one's soul to the Devil traditionally involves earthly/worldly happiness or bliss. John Lennon did not experience that condition.
In every single variation of the Faustian myth, the recipient of the Devil's "gift" enjoys earthly happiness up until the day when he is snatched away to Hell. In fact, in his work "Faust Legends" (1995-2000), D.L. Ashlimann states: "Henceforth Dr. Faustus' life was filled with comfort and luxury, but marked by excess and perversion. Everything was within his grasp..."
John Lennon's experience after December of 1960 (the date that Niezgoda says he sold his soul to the Devil) was far from comfortable or luxurious. In fact, it was quite the opposite.
John Lennon in Hamburg, 1960
In April of 1961, John's closest friend, his "brother," and soul mate, Stu Sutcliffe, died of a brain hemorrhage. Stu was, after John's mother's death, the person John loved most on earth. To say that John was completely bereft after his passing is to minimize a pain that defies description.
In 1962, as The Beatles gained fame and acclaim, John (more than any of the others) was often terrified to go onstage; frequently, he had panic attacks before performing. Fame was never a great joy for him. Like everything else in his life, he found it sadly disappointing.
John Lennon, far from relishing fame, despised the fact that he wasn't free to walk around like a normal person or "have a pint at the Phil" when he was home in Liverpool. He feared being stalked by a maniac or dying in a plane crash. He was so dejected about "the prison" that touring became that he overate, drank too much, and entered what he termed his "Fat Elvis" period. This was not a man surrounded by comfort and luxury, but by tension, fear, discomfort, and danger.
In 1967, his marriage to Cynthia Powell Lennon began falling apart. Even in his home life, John was discontent. Need I go on to discuss the many miscarriages that Yoko endured after their marriage? To talk about John's years under FBI scrutiny? To detail the miseries in his fight for a Green Card? Where was the earthly bliss that should have accompanied the Faustian bargain?
2. The Beatles worked, strove, and struggled to become "the toppermost of the poppermost." John was born with God-given talent, and he piled determination on top of perseverance to hone that talent.
As a teenager, John practiced endlessly until his aunt Mimi screamed at him to "stop playing or she'd go mad."
In Hamburg, the Beatles played six and eight hours a night - every single night - between 17 August and the end of November 1960 - in a heat that separated dross from gold - quickly.
The Beatles lived in a German hovel (the Bambi Kino), slept little, and worked themselves into utter fatigue in order to return to Liverpool in December as accomplished musicians. To suggest that the transformation of the band (from amateurs whom Allan Williams was reluctant to send to Germany into professionals) was the result of a demonic Faustian pact is to know nothing of what the group endured in Hamburg under Bruno Koschmider's domination at the Indra and the Kaiserkeller.
The screams that greeted The Beatles at Litherland Town Hall on 27 December were justified laurels for a band whose new brand of raucous rock 'n' roll had been earned on "the killing fields" of Hamburg's Reeperbahn. Playing an hour concert at Litherland after eight hours on a German stage was mere child's play. The Beatles had turned into powerhouses...through work, not demonic possession.
Throughout the 60's, the pattern continued. The Beatles labored for what they achieved. In 1964, they worked almost every single day of the entire year...every day! They toured, recorded, interviewed, appeared...not one moment was spent relaxing or spending time with their families.
Work, not alchemy, made them a household name.
3. The talent of the Beatles was not John's alone.
If John sold his soul for musical prowess and fame, did he also sell the soul of Sir Paul McCartney so that Paul would have the incredible, phenomenal talent to write "Yesterday," to score movies, to write classical music, to sing Little Richard songs as well as Little Richard, to conceive of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, to endure for decades as a vibrant musician?
Did John also sell the soul of George Harrison so that George could provide the world with lead licks that would be instantly recognizable, could create haunting ballads such as "Something" and "While My Guitar Gently Weeps," could be responsible for creating the first world concert for charity?
Did John sell the soul of Ringo Starr to make him the most recognizable drummer in the world, to endow him with a suave charm that made him a born actor, a clever emcee, a beloved celebrity?
If one reads any of the Faustian stories, one knows that the Devil strikes a hard bargain. Never would Mephistopheles or Scratch (or any other version of Satan) surrender this much talent, power, vision, and beauty for the soul of John Lennon alone! That would never have been enough payment for so great a reward.
ALL of the Beatles were and are geniuses in their own right. John could not have purchased and did not purchase that quality for them.
The Beatles didn't "buy" their gifts; they were born with them. To insinuate that The Beatles had to have John Lennon "purchase" success for them from satanic sources is to insult God, who gives talents freely and lovingly. Giving a nod to Satan for the success of The Beatles is an affront on so many levels.
4. The Beatles were guided to fame with the help of loving friends.
In Goethe's Faust, his protagonist speaks these immortal words, "Everybody...played a part in it..." This is the one line in the Faust story that actually fits The Beatles. The Beatles indeed got "by with a little help from [their] friends." The lads from Liverpool were amazingly talented, but they became great thanks to Allan Williams, Stu Sutcliffe, Astrid Kirchherr, Brian Epstein, George Martin, Neil Aspinall, Mal Evans...and on and on and on. So many incredible people gave of themselves to lead these boys on their path. That isn't demonic possession. That's love.
There is, however, one more line from that quote in Faust. It really reads, "Everybody...played a part in it, even the traitors."
Yes, even Mr. Niezgoda will play his own part in contributing to the Beatle legend. And sadly, some people will choose to read his work and believe it to be true.
If you're reading this article, I sincerely hope you won't join that rank and file. There are far more credible Beatle books out there to digest. Choose wisely.
Published November 26, 2008
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